America Football vs. Rugby

If you read the first part of this two part article, you realize that sports is the number one viewed performance in visual and performing arts. AS we explained in the last article American football and Rugby are tops on that list, so continue reading to learn out why.

American football is played in a series of downs. Between each down there is a brief rest break called the huddle where strategic orders are dished out by the quarterback to the rest of the squad.

The game is divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each, with an intermission after the second quarter, called half-time. Which makes sense since one-quarter plus one-quarter equals one-half.

In Rugby, there is no advance plan. There would be no point. Within moments after the outset of action, it’s chaos and bedlam with every next move made up on the spot in the heat of the moment, as waves of thrashing, pummeling bodies continuously smash into each other.

The play in Rugby is more like the continuous clashing of medieval armies and continues non-stop, interrupted only by prolonged injury.

Ordinary injuries like a broken limb, ripped ear or torn testicle might cause a pause in the action as functioning players step over the damaged player so the action can continue.

After 40 minutes of non-stop action, a pause is taken for 10 minutes. No rest for the weary there! After those brief 10 minutes are over, it’s back on to the field you go for another 40 minutes of grunting, grinding action, again with no breaks except to move the badly wounded out of the way.

Super Bowl Examples.

In American football the object of the game is to score points by moving the ball into the opponent’s end zone while maintaining control of the ball at all times.

The ball does not have to physically touch the ground in order to count as a score, even though the score is called a touch down. Go figure. The ball can also be kicked between the uprights, which is called a Field Goal.

In Rugby the object of the game is to stay alive long enough to continue playing. After 40 minutes of grueling Neanderthal behavior, somebody blows a whistle and a truce is called for 600 seconds (again, 10 minutes for you math whizzes), after which another whistle blows and the battle resumes between those still able to walk.

Protective gear in American football is intense. Padding is seen everywhere on the body, to the extent that modern players look like a cross between an astronaut and RoboCop.

In Rugby, aside from a mouth guard which is required, only a light head cap can be seen along with, presumably, a titanium athletic supporter (by which we do not mean a fan).

If the American football player is like a modern gladiator, the Rugby player is like an extra the Mel Gibson movie, Braveheart, clad only in a loin cloth and sandals.

With only paltry defenses against disabling injury, the Ruby player’s body is completely exposed to brutal contact, crushing assault and continuous pummeling.

According to various statistics, the average player in a game of American football is tackled 4 times with the greatest recorded force being 4,600 lbs, for a potential total of 18,400 pounds of pummeling power.

In Rugby, the average player is tackled 16 times, with the greatest recorded force being 1,600 lbs. which although lighter, results in a total per-game force load of 25,600 lbs., nearly half again that experienced in football. And remember, no body armor (not counting shorts and a jersey).

So the next time you think of the performing arts, don’t forget those warriors on the fields of football and Rugby.

And if you prefer your performing arts from the comfort of your sofa, it doesn’t get any better than the Super Bowl — the single most watched of all televised sporting events in the world.

No, the action isn’t graceful and exquisite, it’s bone-crunching and brutal. But it’s a performance you don’t want to miss. Popcorn optional.

American Football vs. Rugby

Of all the visual arts, the one performing art that is watched by the greatest number of appreciative spectators each year is not what you might think.

No, it’s not tap, ballet or modern dance. It’s sports, and professional sports in particular where there is true artistry in performance. Hence, a performing art.

Since we’ll be looking at the similarities and differences between American football (by which we mean American gridiron football) and Rugby, we should mention that American football is played almost exclusively in (you guessed it) America, while Rugby is most watched in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, the British Isles, France, Italy and South Africa.

So what exactly are the main similarities and differences between these two sports? Which came first? Which is more violent? Which is more civilized?

Rugby is best described as a blend of soccer (continuous running action), American football (violent contact) and basketball (continuous passing of the ball to other players).

In American Football, the ball is typically passed forward whereas in Rugby it can only be passed laterally, with running and kicking advancing the ball.

Players in American football each specialize in the skills needed for their particular position, whether that be quarterback, center, running back, tight end, etc.

Rugby players on the other hand must be specialists in all aspects of the game and able to run and dodge with the ball, punt, throw spiral passes (underhanded) out of both hands, catch passes, place kick at various angles from all over the field and make a variety of tackles.

Part II will cover the action in American football vs Rugby, so stayed tuned for the second portion coming later this week.

Can An Automobile Be Art?

Can the automobile truly be considered a form of art? Or must art consist only of sculpture, painting and pottery? Just ask any of the many thousands of devotees of antique and classic cars whether they consider the automobile to be art and they will rush to tell you that, to the true automobile lover, the car isn’t just art — it’s art on wheels.

To the true car aficionado, there simply isn’t any comparison. After all, it just isn’t possible to put the hammer down on the Mona Lisa, rev her up to 60 miles per hour in a matter of seconds, smell the gasoline and feel the wind in your hair! Indeed, for those who truly love cars, the automobile is pure art.

The design of the modern motor car began in the late 1800′s and derived from the form of locomotives of that era. Steam locomotives were essentially large iron boxes with a boiler and wheels, and the first motor cars to come alone weren’t much more refined. It would be many decades before anything as ‘artsy’ as the tail fin would emerge.

Elegance was the last thing on the minds of the designers of the earliest automobiles. They hadn’t even gotten past passenger comfort yet, let alone give any thought to a refined appearance. It was enough to get their sputtering, backfiring contraptions running, let alone give a second thought to the driver other than to put a pad under his or her bottom.

Niceties such as windscreens were simply out of the question in the earliest vehicles. If you got a bug in your teeth you simply plucked it out and motored on. And if it were cold outdoors, perhaps bitterly so, you bundled up as best you could and tried not to allow the icicles on your eyebrows and beard to distract you from the treacherous task of keeping the vehicle on the road, even as you steered around rocks, potholes, horse manure and other obstacles of the day.

Gradually, as the early decades of the 1900′s rolled by, form gradually began to catch up with function as the automobile slowly began to accommodate owners who desired style along with their discomfort.

The famous Model T, which was Henry Ford’s first commercial product, featured a roof and an enclosed passenger compartment, yet managed to maintain the homely, boxy appearance of a carriage that could just as easily be towed by a team of horses.

Gradually, as horsepower increased (minus the horses, thank you), cars became lower in profile, elongated, and with windscreens (now called windshields) that swept back to reduce wind resistance.

And such power! Among the fastest, most elegant and certainly most powerful cars of its era, the stylishly elegant 1936 Duesenberg sported a ram-air intake engine that could produce 400 horsepower.

By the 1970′s the American automobile had morphed into what is today called a “muscle car”, culminating in the Pontiac Gran Torino, a muscular, tire-smoking thing of beauty that can lovingly be admired as the star of Clint Eastwood’s movie of the same name: “Gran Torino.”

The oil crisis of 1973 rang in the era of economically, fuel efficient cars and heralded the beginning of a new period in motor vehicle deign in which function would serve the needs of economy, trumping form and fashion and resulting, most sadly, in a plethora of horribly inelegant and shapeless passenger cars that could scarcely be told apart.

To be sure there are exceptions such as the Hummer, but drive the roads of America today and you largely see an amorphous mass of visually boring, homogeneously designed, 4-wheel people movers with puny engines and just enough room for a driver to squeeze behind the wheel without feeling as though you’re being crammed into a telephone booth.

There is, however, one type of vehicle that has withstood the tests of time and the cruel dictates of economy. No one who chauffeurs one of these babies cares a hoot about gasoline efficiency. That is the limousine, and in particular, the stretch limo.

The limo is by its very nature an elongated, ponderously heavy rolling high-society salon that cares not a fig about miles per gallon or other such trifling concerns. The limo is the ultimate statement of automotive arrogance, designed purely and solely for the pleasure of its passengers.

The modern limousine can be stretched to comfortably seat as many as twenty passengers or more, each luxuriously nestled in cozy glove leather and enveloped by the latest in hi-tech surround sound sufficient to please and pamper the most discerning audiophile.

A well trained driver can accelerate a luxury stretch limo so gradually that one can hardly tell that one is moving at all, let alone cause the brandy in your snifter to so much as tilt to one side.

Truly, the modern limousine is to today’s automobiles as the clipper ship was to sailing ships of yore. Sleek, elegant, polished and wickedly sexy, the modern stretch limo is not just a thing of beauty, it answers the age old question of artists and designers as to whether form follows function, or function follows form. It simply doesn’t care, darling.

Welcome to the Phillips Art Expert Blog. If you are a lover of the arts, or just wanting to learn more about the arts, you have arrived at the right blog. Here you will learn about all different aspects of the arts. Below is a brief explanation of all the types of art that will be covered in this blog.

Fine Art – Which consist of drawings, painting, sculpture and printmaking. This is the area of the arts most known by the layperson. We will attempt to educate you on why this are of art is so treasured and must be preserved for future generations.

Visual Art – Which consist of contemporary arts (i.e. installation, performance). This area of the arts includes acting which is very popular in film and movie industry.

Decorative Art – Which consist of arts and crafts areas (tapestry, ceramics, pottery, stain glass, etc.). This area of the arts are usually taken up as hobbies by people to relax and use their creative side.

Applied Art – Which consist of architecture, industrial design, fashion design, interior design, etc. This area of the arts is more technical than the rest and requires additional skills than just a creative mind, you must also have skills in engineering and critical thinking.

Our job is to give you a broad knowledge base whether you are here to learn more about the arts, or you are a seasoned art enthusiast looking for ideas on your next project, we are here to inform. We will cover aspects of the arts that may not be as well known by many but are critical to others. For instance thinking about industrial arts and the design of automobiles and in particular attractively designed limousines are an art form. In addition, animation has been a growing art form that many people and film makers are drawn to.

So whether you are here to view the images and videos we have or learn something new for a term paper, we have all of your art needs covered. Phillips Art Expert is your premier resource for anything art related. We travel the globe searching for the best artifacts, art items, and structures around, so we can bring these results back to you.

If you happen to come across a piece of art you believe we should highlight on this sight, send us an email and let us know about it. Though we have a lot of resources to attain the best examples from around the world, we cannot possibly be everywhere, and that is where you come in. We also want you to interact with us on the site and give us ideas for topics you would like to see discussed. We have ideas for what we should talk about but our main job is to serve you the reader, and with that in mind we want to hear what you would like to see so we can be a better resource for you.

Art has taken its lumps throughout the years. Some of the careers in art are not as respected as others, but the necessity of the topic is unquestioned. We here at Phillips Art Expert are here to showcase the best that art has to offer and we hope you join us on this journey.